Local Brew
The beans may be from Brazil, but Dallis Bros. Coffee is quintessentially Queens
Written by Nancy Davidson; Photographed by Patrick Kolts
QUEENS IS a most unlikely place to find a coffee tree. Unless, that is, you happen to be John Moore, vice president of sales and marketing for Dallis Bros. Coffee. Moore grows them on his porch in East Elmhurst. A few years ago, when he was living in Park Slope, Moore sprouted the trees from fruit he picked in El Salvador. “My son and I planted the beans on our stoop, and now they happily reside on our porch in Queens when not doing a winter stint at the factory,” he says.
As could be expected of a guy who cultivates coffee on his own front porch, Moore’s much more involved in production and quality control than your typical sales and marketing guy. He studies coffee with the attention of a top-tier roaster. (He also happens to make a perfect cappuccino.) His knowledge of coffee aromas, flavors and other characteristics is among the highest of anyone in the business. His olfactory skills and ability to describe what he tastes have earned him a “Q-Grade,” a credential that only a few hundred coffee experts worldwide have achieved.
When you visit the Dallis Bros. factory and attend one of its monthly tours, you might be able to see a few of Moore’s trees in the showroom. Coffee Director Byron Holcomb, who also owns a coffee plantation in the Dominican Republic, will give you an introduction to how coffee is grown, sorted and processed in different countries. You’ll also see their vintage Probat roasting machines, and the lab where raw beans are analyzed (and cleared of such found objects as bullet casings).
Moore’s dedication and expertise are what you might expect from Dallis Bros., which has been quietly importing, roasting and selling coffee in Ozone Park since 1913. The company is as proudly obsessed with freshness as it is local: Customized blends of specialty beans aren’t roasted until a café or restaurant places its order for the week. Roasters—including Ed Kaufmann, who recently joined Dallis Bros. from the Portland, Oregon-based Stumptown—employ both the newest technology and their own vanguard roasting techniques.
Since 2007, Dallis has partnered with Octavio Coffee, a Brazilian company whose proprietary coffee farm, Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida, is located in Alta Mogiana, Pedregulho, São Paulo, a growing region known for specialty coffee beans. The arrangement means Dallis Bros. employees now have ownership in the entire coffee production process, from tree to harvest to processing, transportation, cultivar and blend selection.
The Brazilian beans are used in several of Dallis Bros.’ blends, and are also featured in a single-farm coffee they sell. It includes a mixture of varietals—Yellow Catuaí, Catucaí, Yellow Bourbon and Obatã—all roasted to a medium brown, and boasting a sweet, balanced, subtle taste.
The company also has a line of specialty coffee blends that pay tribute to its place in history and in New York. The “Red Den” blend is the darkest certified coffee roast, meant to conjure up the dark and smoky bar that used to be on the corner where Dallis is currently located. “Ellis Island” is a blend of different coffees from all over the planet, roasted to various degrees of darkness and blended together. The “Unisphere” blend draws on the central iconic image of the 1964 World’s Fair, cutting-edge technology and the promise of what can happen when great minds from around the world come together. This blend contains coffees from around the globe, handled individually in Dallis’ small-batch Probat roaster, but then blended back together for a gestalt effect, the sum greater than the parts.
WHERE TO DRINK
Café Via Espresso
24-09 Steinway St.
Astoria
718-545-3290
Il Bambino
34-08 31st Ave.
Astoria
718-626-0087
Ilbambinonyc.com
Sage General Store
24-20 Jackson Ave.
Long Island City
718-361-0707
Sagegeneralstore.com
Piccola Venezia
42-01 28th Ave.
Astoria
718-721-8470
Piccola-venezia.com
WHERE TO LEARN
Dallis Bros. Coffee
100-32 Atlantic Ave.
Ozone Park
718-845-3010
dallisbroscoffee.com
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